After the Ascension Bridge, the Pentecost weekend is emerging. While May 1 and 8, which fell on a Sunday this year, had deprived the French of two long weekends, many city dwellers will seize this new opportunity to escape to the great outdoors.
Before going green, however, it is better to plan your itinerary in advance. To anticipate your journeys, here are all the forecasts for the Pentecost weekend in order to leave with complete peace of mind.
As Bison Futé reveals on its website, all the lights are red for this Pentecost weekend, which promises to be very busy on the roads. Before passing this extended weekend, we must therefore expect a lot of slowdowns and frequent traffic jams with a map of departures placed in red over the whole of France.
In the direction of departures, on Friday June 3, traffic will be described as “very difficult” towards the resorts.
Saturday June 4 will appear, for its part, less crowded with a map of departures which provides for an orange alert and evokes a “difficult” situation. Pentecost Day, Sunday will be calm and conducive to travel with green lights throughout the day in all regions. Monday June 6 will be more complicated with the big return day, where all of France will again be classified in red
In the direction of departures, on Friday June 3, traffic will be “very difficult”, according to Bison Futé, which provides for slowdowns to resorts. It is recommended to cross Île-de-France before 12 p.m., to opt for an alternative route instead of taking the A1 motorway between Paris and Lille from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.
The A13 motorway will also experience traffic jams between Paris and Rouen. Users are invited not to choose the A7 motorway, between Lyon and Orange, from 2 p.m. to 10 p.m., but also to avoid the A9 motorway, between Orange and Narbonne, from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. At the same time, traffic jams are planned on the entire Mediterranean axis.
Like the day before, the situation will be difficult in the direction of departures on the A7, A8 and A10 motorways. In Île-de-France, delays are planned on the A1 and A6 motorways, as well as on the Boulevard Périphérique and the A86. Expect traffic jams on the A13 between mid-morning and mid-afternoon.
Holidaymakers are encouraged to leave Île-de-France after 4 p.m. and avoid access to Italy via the Mont-Blanc tunnel (N205), where heavy traffic is expected from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m., then from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. A wait of more than 1 hour is envisaged from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. In the South-West, this time, the A61 between Toulouse and Narbonne, as well as the A62 between Toulouse and Bordeaux are strongly discouraged from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
On Monday, June 6, it will be better to leave sooner or later to escape the big returns of the weekend. From the start of the afternoon, the situation will be complex in the direction of Île-de-France and returns will be spread out from mid-morning to early evening. Major difficulties are expected on the A10, A7 and A8 motorways.
In the direction of returns, it will be necessary to avoid the A11 motorway between Le Mans and Paris, from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m., as well as the A13 between Caen and Rouen, but also between Rouen and Paris, from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. To the south, the A9 motorway, between Narbonne and Montpellier, will also be overloaded from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m., as between Montpellier and Orange, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.